“Exactly, what’s so good about being so dark?” someone else chimed in. “The King of Qin is as dark as a piece of charcoal, you can hardly tell his nose and eyes apart. Only the Queen Consort of Qin has gotten used to him and finds him handsome.”
Liancheng nodded upon hearing this, his expression softening slightly.
Seeing this, someone immediately chimed in to cheer him up, "What charcoal? It looks as black as an ink stick to me!"
"No, no, no, it's clearly as black as a crow!"
Liancheng nodded again and looked at the person beside him.
The man stared at the ground, unable to think of any other analogy, and finally blurted out, "As black as...as...as black as an unlit candle!"
Chapter 73 Single
Wei Hong later learned about what happened on the road from his subordinates, including what Yao Youqing said to Liancheng.
He held the girl on his lap and asked with a smile, "Ning'er doesn't like men with fair skin?"
“It’s not that I don’t like it,” Yao Youqing said, “it’s just that I grew up in the Yao family. Although my father was a scholar, both of my older brothers wanted to learn martial arts and join the army.”
“But our Yao family is a scholarly family, and Father only has two sons. How could he possibly allow them both to join the army?”
"So in the end, the eldest brother chose to give way to his younger brother and pursue an official career to support his family, while the second brother could do what he wanted to do."
"Even so, my eldest brother has always insisted on practicing martial arts, and like my second brother, he dislikes men who wear makeup, feeling that they have lost their masculinity."
“I grew up with them, so I also think that men like the prince are more handsome. Although many people like men who wear makeup, I don’t like them.”
Although Liancheng wasn't wearing any makeup, her fair skin wasn't Yao Youqing's type.
If he hadn't gone out of his way to talk to Yao Youqing, she naturally wouldn't have approached him to say anything. But he insisted on going to the carriage to say those few words, which is why Yao Youqing rejected him to his face.
Wei Hong had also heard some things about Yao's two sons. It was said that the two were quite well-educated, though not as well as Yao Yuzhi, but much better than ordinary people.
Yao's second son wanted to join the army, but just as he was about to turn thirteen and prepare to enlist, he died of an illness.
The eldest son had finally grown up safely, but he drowned in an accident, leaving Yao Youqing as the only daughter in the Yao family.
"You really like your two older brothers, don't you?"
He stroked the girl's head and asked.
Whenever she mentions her brothers, Yao Youqing unconsciously reveals pride and respect in her words. Now, even her appreciation for men is the same as what her brothers say, which shows how close she is to them.
Yao Youqing nodded: "My mother passed away early. Although I still have some memories of her, they are not deep. I have a deeper impression of my two older brothers. Since my mother passed away and my father was busy and could not often accompany me, they were almost always the ones who accompanied me. Whenever I got into trouble, they were the ones who protected me."
“When I was little, my dad was afraid I would get a stomachache from eating outside, so he wouldn’t let me buy food from outside. They would buy it themselves to taste, and only after confirming that it was okay would they secretly buy it for me. I learned about the food on the street and many things outside from them. It’s no exaggeration to say that they raised me.”
Wei Hong watched her reminisce about her brother with a smile in her eyes, recalling the time when he took her out under the pretext of suppressing bandits, and how they addressed each other as brother and sister to conceal their identities.
When the girl first called him "Brother Hong," she glanced at him a few more times. Now she understands that this title has a different meaning for her.
For her, the word "brother" meant more than just an older brother; it meant someone she trusted and relied on wholeheartedly.
Although Yao Youqing never called him that again after that, he knew that in her heart she must have regarded him as someone trustworthy and reliable, just like her brothers. This could be seen from her words and actions and her protection of him in front of outsiders.
A warm feeling inexplicably rose in Wei Hong's heart, and he kissed her forehead.
"From now on, I'll take care of you."
Yao Youqing didn't say anything, but just smiled and curled up in his arms, wrapping her arms around his waist.
Wei Hong hugged her tighter and nuzzled her head before asking about Qiongyu and Li Dou.
Yao Youqing smiled and said, "Qiongyu is shy and didn't say it directly, but I think she should be satisfied."
She subtly mentioned it to Qiongyu, who blushed and glanced in Li Dou's direction before saying that she would make all the decisions, as long as she wasn't allowed to marry far away and could serve her after the marriage.
Li Dou is a person close to Wei Hong, and Yao Youqing is Wei Hong's princess. If Qiong Yu marries him, she can naturally stay by Yao Youqing's side, so there is nothing wrong with this matter.
“I want to go back to Hucheng and buy Qiongyu a house, and give her two shops as her dowry. Before the wedding, I will remove her from her slave status, so that marrying her to Doctor Dou will not be considered an overestimation of her status.”
Yao Youqing said.
Although Qiongyu was her favorite maid, she was still a servant in the end.
Even though Li Dou's position in the army wasn't high, he still held an official post. If word got out that he had married a maid, it would be a laughing stock. But if Qiongyu regained her status as a free person, it wouldn't matter.
Wei Hong nodded: "Li's residence is in Cangcheng. You should arrange a house for her in Hucheng so that they can live in both places in the future, which will be convenient."
"You don't need to worry about this. I'll have someone arrange it and let you know when a suitable house is found."
Although Yao Youqing had been married into the family for some time, she naturally couldn't compare to Wei Hong in terms of understanding Hucheng. So she nodded and said, "Then I'll trouble you, Your Highness."
Wei Hong kissed her on the cheek: "No trouble at all."
…………
After making the arrangements for the house, Wei Hong didn't concern himself with it anymore. He would let the servants know when they had done their job.
That day, he and Yao Youqing went up the mountain to ride their horses. They watched their little darling, who had grown a lot, running around on the mountain, with the fluffy white little cutie still following behind.
However, after spending so much time together, Xiao Guai Guai no longer dislikes Xiao Ke Ai as before, and the relationship between the horse and the dog has improved a lot. Sometimes, it will even stop and wait for Xiao Ke Ai.
As Yao Youqing strolled hand in hand with Wei Hong through the woods, watching them frolic and play nearby, she felt very happy, a smile always on her face, especially when she saw Li Dou glancing intentionally or unintentionally toward Qiongyu, who was standing near the carriage.
"I'm relieved to hear from my aunt that Dr. Dou is also willing to agree to this marriage."
She laughed.
Wei Hong scoffed lightly: "Why wouldn't he be willing to be given a beautiful wife for free?"
Yao Youqing chuckled, then, remembering something, said, "I hadn't thought about these things before, so I hadn't paid attention. It was only when Auntie asked Doctor Dou to marry Qiongyu that I realized that it seems the Prince isn't the only one who isn't married. Lord Cui is also unmarried. Why is that?"
At this point, Wei Hong suddenly smiled and said, "He has a bad temper, so he won't be able to find a wife."
"How is this possible?"
Yao Youqing's eyes widened: "It's understandable that someone like General Guo can't find a wife, but how come Lord Cui can't find one?"
Guo Sheng, who was walking over with an urgent report in his hand, suddenly stopped in his tracks: "..."
Why did he say it was okay just because he couldn't find a wife?
Chapter 74 Washing Face
Yao Youqing had no idea when Guo Sheng arrived, nor did she know that he had overheard her conversation with Wei Hong.
All she knew was that when Guo Sheng gave the urgent report to Wei Hong, Wei Hong's face immediately darkened.
"Your Highness, what has happened?"
She asked with a worried expression.
Wei Hong forced a smile and patted her head.
"It's okay, you can play here with Aunt Zhou and the others, I'm going back for a bit."
Yao Youqing shook her head: "I'll go back with you."
Although Wei Hong usually has a stern face, she rarely shows such an unpleasant expression. Something big must have happened. In that case, she should go back with him.
Anyway, she just came out to walk the horse. The little darling has already played on the mountain for a while and should be done playing. She can just bring it and the little cutie back together.
Wei Hong thought for a moment and nodded: "Okay, then come back to the car with me first, and I'll have someone bring the horse and dog back."
Yao Youqing nodded and walked with him to the car. The two got in the car and soon after, Xiao Ke'ai and Xiao Guaiguai were brought back. The group then drove towards Hucheng.
…………
"Where is Liancheng? Is he dead? Is he just watching the Southern Yan army cause trouble?"
After returning to the manor, Wei Hong did not go to the inner courtyard with Yao Youqing, but went directly to the study in the front courtyard and slammed the urgent report on the table.
Guo Sheng frowned: "I don't know. Ziqian has already gone to check and should be back soon."
As soon as he finished speaking, Cui Hao strode into the room, his usually calm face unusually gloomy.
"Your Highness, we can't get in touch with Young Master Lian. We don't know what happened to him. His own men are in chaos. Although the shops are still operating normally, they are secretly sending people to look for him. It seems that we haven't been able to contact him for some time."
Guo Sheng frowned even more deeply upon hearing this: "These people are really patient. They've lost their master and are still doing business without saying a word! They didn't even bother to inform us!"
"I guess they're afraid we'll take advantage of the situation."
Cui Hao said helplessly.
Although the prince and Young Master Lian have a mutually beneficial relationship, due to their differing stances, they are destined to be unable to be completely open with each other, and both are somewhat wary of the other.
If Liancheng goes missing, and his subordinates tell Wei Hong about it, it would be fine if Wei Hong helps them find him. But if he not only doesn't help but also takes advantage of the situation, he will definitely punish them if Liancheng returns in the future.
They weren't sure, so naturally they didn't dare tell Wei Hong.
Guo Sheng spat, "You're judging others by your own standards. If that's the case, I'd even suspect that their master might have orchestrated this whole thing!"
He was just speaking his mind without thinking, and when he finished speaking, he noticed that Cui Hao's expression was gloomy and there was a hint of worry in his eyes, so he was taken aback.
"...Could it really be him?"
"It shouldn't be."
Wei Hong remained silent for a moment before speaking.
“Even if Liancheng wanted to turn against me, it wouldn’t be now, and he certainly wouldn’t use this method.”
Given Liancheng's personality and their understanding of each other, he would never act rashly unless he was absolutely certain he could completely eliminate him.
Unless they are truly dead, people who are "missing" will eventually reappear.
If he breaks off relations with him now for such a foolish reason, isn't he afraid of retaliation when they reappear in the future?
Cui Hao nodded: "That possibility is indeed rather small, but we still need to be cautious. In addition, I have already sent people to search for Young Master Lian's whereabouts within Shuozhou. As long as he is in their territory, we will definitely be able to find him. But I'm afraid... he's not here."
Although Liancheng often stayed within the territory of Daliang, he was, after all, a native of Nanyan, and spent more time in Nanyan.
If something happens to him in Daliang, Wei Hong can still offer some help, but there's nothing that can be done about Nanyan.
"Furthermore, Your Highness, if something truly happens to Young Master Lian... what do you intend to do?"
Leaving aside the distant past, how will he handle this recent war?